Washburn County

Washburn County, Wisconsin — key demographics

Population size

• 16,623 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~50 years (older than WI/US)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–64: ~55%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Sex

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (alone or in combination; Hispanic is any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~93%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~2–3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~2%
• Black/African American: <1%
• Asian: <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~7,300–7,400
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~62% (married-couple families ~50%)
• Nonfamily households: ~38% (living alone ~33%; age 65+ living alone ~15–16%)
• Owner-occupied housing: ~80–82%
• Housing units: ~13,500–13,700, with a high share of seasonal/vacant recreational units

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Washburn County, WI snapshot (2025)

• Population and density: 16,700 residents across ~797 sq mi of land (21 people/sq mi), a low-density, rural profile that shapes connectivity.
• Estimated email users: 12,400 adult users out of ~13,700 adults (90% adoption).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~1,700 users (≈96% of this group)
  • 30–49: ~3,300 users (≈96%)
  • 50–64: ~3,500 users (≈92%)
  • 65+: ~3,900 users (≈83%)
• Gender split:
  • Population: ~50.5% female, 49.5% male
  • Email adoption: 91% of adult women (6,300 users) vs 90% of adult men (6,100 users)
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~79% of households have a broadband subscription; ~90% have a computer or smartphone; ~11% are smartphone‑only internet households.
  • Fixed broadband availability: ≥25/3 Mbps to ~94% of residents; ≥100/20 Mbps to ~87%; gigabit primarily along cable/fiber corridors in and near population centers.
  • Home broadband adoption has risen ~5–6 percentage points since 2018, driven by fiber builds and state/federal grants; remaining gaps persist in the most sparsely populated areas.
• Insight: High overall email use despite rural constraints; adoption is nearly universal under 65 and solid among seniors, with access improvements tracking new fiber deployments.

Mobile phone usage in Washburn County, Wisconsin (2024–2025)

Baseline context

• Population: ≈16,700 residents; ≈7,400 households.
• Adults (18+): ≈13,300.
• Age structure: older than Wisconsin overall. About 27–28% are 65+ (WI ≈18%).
• Settlement pattern: predominantly rural with low density outside Spooner and Shell Lake; significant share of seasonal/second homes around lakes.

User estimates (ownership and reliance)

• Smartphone users (adults): ≈10,600, or about 80% of adults. This is materially lower than Wisconsin’s ≈88–90% adult smartphone adoption.
• Any cellphone (smartphone or basic phone): ≈95–96% of adults (≈12,700), roughly in line with statewide levels.
• Households using cellular as their primary or only home internet: approximately 9–11% of households (≈700–800). This reliance is higher than the statewide share (≈6–8%), reflecting gaps in wired broadband in rural townships.
• Seasonal effect: mobile traffic and active users rise markedly in summer (tourism and lake homes), creating short‑term load in and around Spooner, Shell Lake, and recreation corridors; this seasonal swing is more pronounced than the statewide norm.

Demographic breakdown of usage (how Washburn differs from Wisconsin)

• Age
  • 65+: ≈70–75% smartphone adoption in Washburn (statewide seniors ≈76–80%). The county’s larger senior share pulls overall adoption down.
  • 18–34: ≈93–96% smartphone adoption (near state norms), but this group is a smaller slice of the county than statewide.
• Income and education
  • Median household income is lower than the state average, and bachelor’s attainment is also lower. These factors correlate with:
    • Greater reliance on prepaid and budget plans.
    • Higher likelihood of using a smartphone/cellular plan as the primary home internet connection in areas without cable/fiber.
• Geography and housing
  • Scattered rural housing and forested terrain lead to more LTE‑only pockets and variable indoor coverage compared with metropolitan Wisconsin.
  • A higher share of seasonal units drives sharper peak‑season demand for mobile data and hotspotting than the state as a whole.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix
  • 4G LTE: broad coverage along US‑53/US‑63 and town centers; coverage thins in heavily forested areas and low‑lying lake basins off main roads.
  • 5G: low‑band 5G covers most population centers; mid‑band 5G (higher capacity) is concentrated in and around Spooner and Shell Lake with patchy reach into rural townships. Compared with Wisconsin’s metro areas—where mid‑band 5G is commonplace—Washburn has a larger share of LTE‑only areas for everyday use.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical user‑experienced download speeds range:
    • Town centers/near major corridors: roughly 50–150 Mbps on mid‑band 5G and 20–60 Mbps on LTE.
    • Rural/forested areas: teens to a few tens of Mbps, with occasional single‑digit speeds indoors or in valleys.
  • This urban–rural performance gap is wider than the statewide average given the county’s terrain and tower spacing.
• Providers and assets
  • Nationwide carriers (AT&T/FirstNet, T‑Mobile, Verizon) operate multiple macro sites; “dozens” of registered macro towers serve the county, with small‑cell/sector densification mainly in Spooner/Shell Lake.
  • FirstNet Band 14 is present on select AT&T sites, improving public safety coverage relative to legacy conditions but not eliminating rural dead zones.
  • Fixed wireless/home internet via cellular (notably T‑Mobile and Verizon) is available to many addresses near towns and along corridors; availability drops in deeper rural areas lacking mid‑band spectrum reach.
  • Wired backbones (cable/fiber) are concentrated in and immediately around Spooner and Shell Lake; DSL or legacy copper persists in many rural tracts. Recent state broadband grants are extending fiber laterals, but large gaps remain compared with statewide cable/fiber penetration.

Key trends versus Wisconsin overall

• Lower adult smartphone adoption (≈80% vs ≈88–90% statewide), driven primarily by an older age profile and rural housing distribution.
• Higher dependence on cellular connections for home internet (≈9–11% of households vs ≈6–8% statewide), particularly where cable/fiber is unavailable.
• Larger LTE‑only footprint and more variable indoor coverage; mid‑band 5G is less ubiquitous, leading to greater speed variability than state metros and larger cities.
• Stronger seasonality in mobile demand due to recreation and second‑home patterns, which is less pronounced statewide.

Sources and methods

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and 2018–2022 ACS 5‑year (population, households, age structure, housing).
• Pew Research Center (2023) smartphone ownership rates by age cohort; applied to county age structure to produce the Washburn adult smartphone estimate.
• FCC National Broadband Map (2023–2024) and carrier public coverage disclosures (4G/5G availability); FirstNet build‑out reports for public safety coverage notes.
• Crowdsourced speed test aggregates for rural Wisconsin (2023–2024) to characterize typical performance ranges.

Note on estimates: Where county‑specific ownership and cellular‑only internet counts are not directly reported, figures are modeled by combining ACS demographics with Pew adoption rates and FCC/coverage availability to produce county‑level estimates consistent with observed rural Wisconsin patterns.

Social media usage in Washburn County, WI (2025)

Topline user stats

• Residents: ~16,600; adults (18+): ~13,800
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~9,500 (≈69% of adults)

Age mix of social media users (share of all users)

• 18–29: ~18%
• 30–49: ~31%
• 50–64: ~28%
• 65+: ~23%

Gender breakdown among social media users

• Women: ~52%
• Men: ~48%

Most‑used platforms (percent of adults who use each platform; modeled for the county)

• YouTube: 80%
• Facebook: 72%
• Instagram: 34%
• Pinterest: 33%
• TikTok: 25%
• Snapchat: 22%
• LinkedIn: 18%
• X (Twitter): 15%
• WhatsApp: 14%
• Reddit: 12%
• Nextdoor: 8%

Approximate adult reach by platform (counts; multi‑platform use expected)

• YouTube: ~11,000
• Facebook: ~9,900
• Instagram: ~4,700
• Pinterest: ~4,500
• TikTok: ~3,400
• Snapchat: ~3,000
• LinkedIn: ~2,500
• X (Twitter): ~2,100
• WhatsApp: ~1,900
• Reddit: ~1,700
• Nextdoor: ~1,100

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: township/school groups, local news, buy–sell groups, events, and small‑business pages drive most public conversations and referrals.
• Video dominates attention: YouTube for how‑to, home repair, outdoor recreation (fishing, hunting, ATV), weather; short‑form video via Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok is rising among 18–34.
• Visual inspiration: Pinterest and Instagram are strong among women 30–64 for recipes, crafts, lake‑home/garden ideas, and local shopping.
• Messaging for youth: Snapchat is the daily default for teens/young adults; Instagram DMs second; TikTok is used more for entertainment than posting.
• Older adults (65+) skew to Facebook‑only usage, engaging heavily with local announcements, obituaries, safety/weather alerts, and civic information.
• Seasonality: Summer tourism and lake season increase Facebook/Instagram posting, check‑ins, and event discovery; weekend spikes are common.
• Connectivity patterns: Patchy broadband outside town centers leads to mobile‑first use, off‑peak viewing, and preference for shorter videos.
• Trust dynamics: Posts from known locals and established groups outperform brand pages; recommendation threads in comments meaningfully influence local purchases.
• Advertising norms: Hyper‑local creative (landmarks, dates, offers) on Facebook/Instagram outperforms generic ads; YouTube pre‑roll works for services; LinkedIn reach is niche (healthcare, education, government roles).

Method and sources

• Figures are county‑level modeled estimates for 2025. Demographic base from U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) for Washburn County combined with Pew Research Center “Social Media Use in 2024” platform adoption rates by age and community type. The county’s older age mix and rural profile were applied to derive local penetrations. Rounding applied; platform penetrations carry an uncertainty of roughly ±3–5 percentage points.